What battles did George B McClellan participate in?

Answer 1

George McClellan fought following battles during the Civil War :

Philippi;

Rich Mountain;

Cheat Mountain;

The Peninsular Campaign, whose most important battles were: The Seven Pines and the Seven Days;

Antietam.

Answer 2

His most serious loss was The Seven Days. There were individual battles six of the seven days, in late June through July 1, 1862. This was the first fighting after Robert E. Lee had taken command of the Confederate Army opposing McClellan. McClellan was close enough to Richmond that the Yankees could see the church steeples in town and set their watches by the bells in Richmond when the fighting started. By the end Lee had driven McClellan to "change his base" (= retreat) to a position on the banks of the James River, where he could shelter his army under the protection of US Navy gunboats on the River. It would be another two years before the Yankees got that close to Richmond again.

After that Lee moved north to attack another entire Yankee Army under John Pope atthe Second Battle of Manassas. McClellan's large army was withdrawn by water from the banks of the James River and returned to Washington, and he was supposed to forward his men as they arrived to help Pope, fighting about twenty-five miles west of Washington. But McClellan's feelings were hurt and he was mightly slow about forwarding reinforcements to Pope, and Pope lost his battle. Lincoln was forced to put McClellan back in command of the two combined armies.

The next battle was Antietam. Its usually counted as a Union victory. But McClellan had a copy of Lee's plan, outnumbered Lee around 105,000 to about 35-40,000, and Lee was fighting with a rain swollen Potomac River in flood stage at his back. Lee fought McClellan to a standstill, and stood in position all the next day daring McClellan to try and attack him again, which McClellan did not do. McClellan had seven Corps in his army, and two of them never fired a shot the entire battle. Then McClellan let Lee get away. This was all too much for Lincoln, who said "He had them in the palm of his hand, and all he had to do was close his hand on them, and the war would have been over". Lincoln's assessment is completely correct, and the war went on for over two and one-half more years.

Answer 3

The basic problem regarding General George B. McClellan's losses were centered in his multiple failures in his Peninsula campaign. Although the Army of the Potomac won a few battles in the campaign, overall, it was his greatest defeat.

Answer 4

Mexican-American War

Civil War